The 2024 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship reaches the halfway point this coming weekend (5-7 July) with round four – the TrialGP of Germany – at Neunkirchen where, for the first time this year, competitors from all five classes will be in action.
- Toni Bou aims to extend TrialGP advantage at Neunkirchen
- TrialGP Women return to action in Germany
- FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup gets under way
Defending champion Toni Bou (Montesa) suffered his first defeat of the season last time out on day two of the TrialGP of Italy, but the record-breaking Spaniard still holds a commanding lead of twenty-seven points in the premier TrialGP class.
A double winner the last time the series visited Germany in 2022, Bou knows that if he can replicate this result it will represent a major step towards an eighteenth consecutive title – although he also knows that this is by no means a done deal as his rivals line up to challenge his supremacy.
Currently fourth in the title chase following a surprisingly slow start to the season that was hampered by technical issues at the opening round in Japan, Spain’s Jaime Busto (GASGAS) took his first win of the campaign at Valsassina and will be looking to carry his momentum into Neunkirchen where he scored two podium finishes in 2022.
Italy’s Matteo Grattarola (Beta) lies fifth and mirrored Busto’s results at the venue two years ago and after picking up a pair of podium finishes at his home round last month the veteran’s confidence will be high.
Enjoying his best start to the season since winning the Trial2 title in 2019, Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) missed the podium for the first time this year on day two in Italy. The twenty-four-year-old – currently a strong second in the standings – has never beaten his compatriot and team-mate Bou in TrialGP competition and is hungry to claim his first victory at this elite level.
By comparison, Adam Raga (Sherco) is fourth on the all-time TrialGP winners list, although the forty-two-year-old has not finished on the top step for two years. His move to a new team for 2024 has revitalised the super-experienced Spaniard who sits third in the points following the first six days of competition and you can be sure that the two-time world champion will be in contention.
Following her double victory in Japan in May, reigning TrialGP Women champion Emma Bristow (Sherco) has established an early lead as she attempts to win her tenth title in eleven years.
The thirty-three-year-old British rider claimed two clear-cut wins at the Mobility Resort Motegi and will be aiming to repeat these performances at Neunkirchen, but she faces stiff opposition in the shape of Italy’s Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) and Spanish star Berta Abellan (Scorpa).
On paper Abellan is the more accomplished of the chasing pair having finished runner-up in the class for the previous two years, although Rabino beat her into third on both days in Japan. Strong performances are also expected from riders including France’s Naomi Monnier (Montesa) and Britain’s Alice Minta (Scorpa) who both recorded podium finishes last season.
Trial2 is always close and competitive and following the first six days of points-scoring competition we have seen four different winners. Of these Jack Peace (Sherco) from Britain and Spain’s Arnau Farré (Sherco) have both taken two victories so far this season with Peace, after winning on day two in Italy, currently holding a seven-point advantage over Alex Canales (Sherco) from Spain.
Farré is very much in the mix in third, just a single point behind Canales, with Britain’s defending champion Billy Green (Scorpa) – who’s still looking for his first win of the campaign – in fourth ahead of Norway’s 2022 champion Sondre Haga (GASGAS) who scored an historic debut win at this level for an electric machine on the opening day in Japan.
This class is so evenly matched that just a single mistake may make a huge difference to the eventual outcome so concentration and consistency will be key.
Following opening events in Andorra and Italy, defending champion George Hemingway (Beta) remains unbeaten in Trial3 and will start at Neunkirchen as a strong favourite to extend his win-streak, although he will not be taking anything for granted this weekend.
Hemingway’s main opposition is likely to come from competitors including second-placed Romeo Piquet (Beta) from France and his compatriot Pablo Echene (Beta), British series newcomer Euan Sim (Sherco) and Norwegian Jonas Jorgensen (Beta) who have all been on the podium this season, although none have seriously troubled Hemingway.
The FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup gets under way at the TrialGP of Germany with a strong field of seventeen up-and-coming competitors in action over the weekend.
With last year’s top-two riders Alycia Soyer (TRRS) from France and Italy’s Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) moving up to the TrialGP Women class there will be a new winner this season and, based on last year’s final positions, Spain’s Laia Pi (Beta) and Norway’s Seline Meling (Beta) must be considered as front runners after finishing third and fourth in 2023.
They will be joined by three more riders from the 2023 top-ten, but with the class attracting an influx of debutants it is too soon to make predictions.
The points-scoring action at Neunkirchen gets under way at 09:00 local time on 6 July and will be streamed LIVE on FIM-MOTO-TV from 12:30 local time with a season pass – covering all seven rounds and the FIM Trial des Nations – priced at €34.90. For more information click here.
